Jinyoung walks past his classmates, meeting their eyes and slightly bowing in acknowledgement. Finally, his eyes land on Taehyung. The black-haired boy smiles and walks towards the small boy. Taehyung cowers slightly in his chair before looking straight ahead, avoiding the boy's eyes. 

Jinyoung sits in the empty seat behind Taehyung which causes him to slightly tense. 

"Okay class, today, we will conduct an experiment on the solubility of blood. You are free to work with whoever you want to."

Taehyung feels his nerves attack him. The only people he knows in this class are Jungkook and Jinyoung and he can't work with either of them.

"Hey, Tae."

The voice makes him freeze. He clenches his hands tightly as he urges himself to turn around and acknowledge the boy. 

He nods at him, forcing on a tight-lipped smile. The black-haired male smiles warmly, "wow, long time no see, eh?"

Taehyung nods again, his action stiff and forced. 

"Say, how bout you be my partner and we catch up a little, huh?"

Taehyung wants to say no. He racks through his brain for all the excuses he could come up with to deny him. But when he looks around the room he notices that everyone else already has a partner, leaving him with no other choice but to work with the boy. 

"O-Okay."

Jinyoung smiles before heading off to get the equipment. Taehyung takes this time to let out the breath he's been holding in. He grips on tightly to the edge of the desk and reassures himself mentally. 

It's okay, Taehyung. You can do this. You're braver now. 

He wants to scoff at his thoughts. Braver? In what way? 

The other boy soon comes back with the equipment and hands Taehyung the safety glasses. They both start setting up the experiment in silence before Jinyoung speaks up once again. 

"Sooo, how have you been? Damn, you've grown quite a lot since the last time I've seen you."

Taehyung nods uncomfortably, "Y-yeah." He lets a fake chuckle slip past his lips. "I've b-been g-good."

Jinyoung looks up and notices the boy's anxious expression. "Hey, are you okay?" He asks, his brows furrowing with concern. He reaches out towards Taehyung, grabbing him gently by the arm. 

Taehyung's breath hitches at the contact and he pulls his arm away rather abruptly. "U-uh, I-I d-don't f-feel too g-good. I-I'm going t-to ask to g-go see the nurse."

Jinyoung nods in understanding. "Do you want me to take you?" 

"N-no!" Taehyung exclaims frantically. Jinyoung nods before smiling brightly. "Catch you later when you're feeling better?"

Taehyung gulps, wanting to scream. That smile. Just seeing it again makes his insides twist. 

"Yeah," he replies breathlessly before rushing off to see the teacher. 

Once he arrives at the nurse's office, the lady makes him sit down and asks him what's wrong. 

Taehyung takes a deep breath to calm himself down. 

"Just feel a little nauseous, that's all." 

~

His classes finally finish and Taehyung heads to the library for a group study session. Jimin had insisted for him to join the session because apparently we're all in this together. Taehyung doesn't exactly want to join the session; He is craving his bed right now. Craving the comfort of his room where he can lay down and let the events of today sink in. But now he can't do that. 

"TAE!" Jimin exclaims excitedly upon seeing his best friend. 

The blond's loud actions cause glares to be sent his way from all the corners of the library but he doesn't seem to mind. Instead, he smiles brightly while patting the seat next to him for Taehyung to sit in. The blue head sits down and smiles a little himself upon seeing the cheerful expression on Jimin's face. 

"Let's get on with it," Jin groans as he pulls out a thick textbook. Hoseok groans and slams his head against the desk. 

"Ugh, I'm exhausted. Studying is so tiring," he whines into the desk. 

Namjoon raises a judgmental brow at the brunette. "Seok, you literally haven't opened the book-"

"Shut the fuck up. I glanced at that shit once and my brain already aches."

"What brain?" Jin snickers. 

Hoseok lifts his head up, "Bro, why you coming for my organs like that? They have feelings too you know." 

Jimin groans, "guys, shut the fuck up, I'm trying to study."

"Jimin, you're literally holding the book upside down-"

"Shut up, Jin, the words hit better this way," Jimin snaps while continuing to read upside down. 

"You know what else hits better upside down?" Hoseok says while wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. 

"Your mum's dick," Jin deadpans causing Taehyung to giggle. He feels his tired shoulders slightly relax in the presence of his crazy friends. 

But his joy is short-lived. 

"Oh hey Jimin, um, sorry I'm late. Got kinda lost." 

Taehyung tenses up at the voice. Oh god, please don't be-

"Oh hey, Jinyoung. And don't worry about it. I couldn't find my way around when I was new either," Jimin says while smiling up at the boy. He then turns to the group. "Guys, this is Jinyoung. He's new. I met him in my physics class and let me tell you, he's the funniest dude you'll get to know."

Jinyoung smiles bashfully at the compliment while greeting the other boys. "Oh, hey Tae," He says when his eyes land on the blue-head. 

Taehyung smiles weakly at him before averting his gaze back to the paper. 

"Oh, you've already met, Tae?" Jimin asks. 

Jinyoung nods. "Yeah. Actually, I've known him even before I came here."

Taehyung tenses at his words, his heart rate accelerating. 

Jimin nods. "Ahh, I see. The world is pretty small, I guess. Well then, since you know Tae the best you can take the seat next to him."

Taehyung feels that nauseous feeling taking over him once again. Jinyoung sits next to him, his shoulder lightly brushing against Taehyung's causing the smaller boy to shift uncomfortably, his whole form tense. 

The boys continue conversing, occasionally quieting down to do a few questions before falling back into their loud chatter. Taehyung sits there with a frantic heart the whole time. 

"Wait so you were a pro basketball player back in Daegu?" Jin asks Jinyoung. 

Jinyoung laughs, "I mean, I wouldn't say pro. But sure."

"Damn, why the fuck did you come here then?" Jimin asks while leaning over the desk. 

Jinyoung sighs, "I wanted to focus on my education. This place is like the best to do that. Heard it's quite conservative here?"

The boys hum, "yeah, they're quite strict. But you'll be fine as long as you're not gay or something," Namjoon states with a snicker. 

This causes Taehyung to tense even further. Jinyoung glances over at Taehyung before turning back with a chuckle. 

"Nah, m'not gay. That shit's fucking weird."

The boys laugh and nod in agreement. 

Taehyung abruptly stands up. "U-uh, I-I go-gotta go. J-Just remembered I-I gotta d-do something." He utters before rushing off, leaving the boys with confused expressions. 

They shrug it off and continue with their conversations. 

"Damn, you guys are hilarious. I wish I had friends like you," Jinyoung says with a bright smile. 

"I mean, you're pretty cool yourself," Hoseok says with a playful grin. "Say, why don't you join the group? It seems we have a knack for taking in newbies anyways. Unless of course you already have friends here?"

Jinyoung widens his eyes. "Really?!" He exclaims. 

Jimin nods ecstatically. "Yeah! The more the merrier."

Jinyoung chuckles at that, his smile widening. "Yeah... Yeah, the more the merrier." 

~

Taehyung enters the dorm, feeling exhausted. The whole way here it felt like his head was going to burst from overthinking and on top of that, he couldn't help but feel that someone was following him. Of course, he knew that whoever it was, it must have been one of his dad's workers. 

Just the sight of the small dorm room made him feel much calmer, his tense form finally relaxing a little.  

"Hey, Bambi," Jungkook says while coming out from the bathroom, hair wet, clad in sweats and a t-shirt. Taehyung smiles tiredly."Hey."

"How was your day?" Jungkook asks, walking rather slowly due to his healing injuries. 

Taehyung shrugs, "it was fine."

Jungkook frowns, noticing something off about the boy. 

"Um, J-Jungkook?" Taehyung calls. The ravenette nods, "yeah?"

"H-Have you met the new kid yet?" Taehyung asks hesitantly while fiddling with his fingers. 

Jungkook walks over to his bed and plops down while looking up at Taehyung confusedly. "Jinyoung? The one in our chem? Yeah, I met him, he's in my sports class. Why?"

Taehyung bites his lip, looking rather anxious. "Um, wh-what do you think of him?"

Jungkook frowns, "Uhh, he seems decent. Funny dude, seems pretty athletic," he says. "Why? Do you know him?"

Taehyung lets out a ragged breath, "yeah, k-kinda."

Jungkook sits up and furrowed his brows. "Is something wrong?"

Taehyung instantly shakes his head, "hahaha, n-no. I was just asking."

Jungkook looks over him carefully before reluctantly nodding. "Anyways, where did you go in the middle of class today? You're the type to hold in your pee because 'you don't want to miss anything important'. " Jungkook says with a teasing smile. 

Taehyung laughs half-heartedly and shrugs. "Um, I just felt kinda sick. The blood probably made me queasy or something. Anyways, I'm going to go shower now." With that, the smaller boy trots off into the bathroom, leaving behind the confused ravenette.

Jungkook could sense something was off about the boy but he was obviously trying to hide it. Seeing the dullness behind the boy's usually shiny eyes makes Jungkook feel weird. He realises then that he doesn't like seeing Taehyung upset. He lays back in his bed and thinks to himself. 

When did I start caring about how others feel?

~

Taehyung comes out of the shower wearing an oversized sweater and some long pyjama pants. He takes off his contacts and then blinks so his eyes can adjust to the room. He feels somewhat more relaxed after standing under the warm water and now he just needs a good night slee-

"Boo!"

"Ahhh!" Taehyung shouts as his roommate jumps up from behind him. He holds his heart and bends down dramatically. "Jungkook!"

The ravenette bursts out laughing and then looks over to see the pouting boy. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Now follow me, I got something to show you."

Taehyung frowns. "Follow you where- Jungkook?" Taehyung furrows his eyebrows as the ravenette pulls open the window.

"Jungkook, what are you doing!" Taehyung whisper-yells as the boy steps onto the small balcony ledge.

Taehyung panics as he rushes to the boy. "Jungkook, you could fall!"

Jungkook doesn't listen but instead grasps onto the edge of the roof above them before slowly pulling himself up. He grunts in pain at the strain put on his injuries but manages to pull himself up onto the roof. Taehyung stands there, looking flabbergasted. 

"Y-you don't expect me t-to do that? Do you?"

Jungkook laughs. "No. Here, use my arm to pull yourself up."

Taehyung shakes his head frantically. "No! You're injured. I don't want to hur-"

"Oh c'mon, Bambi. We both know you're as light as a petal. Pulling you up won't hurt me in any way."

Taehyung blushes at the comparison before reluctantly gripping onto Jungkook's outstretched arm. 

The ravenette pulls him up with ease and places the boy onto the roof alongside him. Taehyung opens his eyes and then looks around. "Oh my god, we're on the roof."

Jungkook chuckles amusedly, "Yeah, we are."

"But that's not what I wanted to show you," He says while spinning the boy around. He leads him to the edge of the roof and then stands behind him. "Look," he says while pointing up to the sky. "Isn't it pretty."

Taehyung squints for a second before hurriedly pulling something out of his pocket. He fumbles with his glasses before managing to finally slide them onto his face. He looks up at the sky again and gasps. 

Jungkook, who was watching the whole ordeal, drops his face into the crevice of the boy's neck and lets out a small chuckle. "God, Bambi. You're just too adorable."

Taehyung flushes at that but continues to look at the stars. They are beautiful. Without the blinding moon to guide them, the shy specks of light flicker like candles across the darkened sky. They bind together to create the illusion of structures that tease the eye with its ethereal beauty. The pretty twinkles seduce it admires to reach out and touch; Tempting them with their alluring flare only to later flaunt its unattainable distance with a sparkle of dainty light. 

"It's so...pretty," Taehyung states breathlessly, feeling all his worries seep away upon breathing in the calming night breeze. The night is chilly; Frosty winds nipping at pale skin. But the heat from Jungkook's strong arms wrapped around him keep him warm. 

"When I was little," Jungkook starts, his deep voice tickling the edge of Taehyung's sensitive ear. "I used to love staring at the sky. It was like an escape. When things get hard, you feel so trapped. But then you look up at the stars and see how many there are. It's an endless scatter of light, reminding you of how big the world is. Reminding you of how small your problems are compared to the infinite existence of space." 

Taehyung exhales and then spins around in Jungkook's hold. He places his head on top of the boy's chest and wraps his arms around him. Jungkook continues speaking but tightens his hold on the smaller boy. "I hate it here, Tae. It's miserable. Fake parents, fake friends. God, even I'm fake." He says while chuckling sadly. "But when I look up at those endless stars, I feel hope. I know that right now, isn't forever. Just cause I'm trapped now doesn't mean I'm here till death. One day, I'll be free... I'll escape."

As Taehyung looks into Jungkook eyes, he doesn't see Jeon Jungkook, the homophobic bully of hellvile high. He sees, Jungkook; A boy who's been broken beyond repair. Even though Taehyung doesn't know what broke him, he sees him a little differently now. He feels like he's slowly peeling off the plastic mask that defines Jeon Jungkook.

Taehyung is broken away from his thoughts when he notices Jungkook ruffling with something in his pocket. The boy pulls out a cigarette causing Taehyung to frown. Jungkook notices the expression and chuckles. "Oh, right. I forgot you hate these."

He puts the cigarette back in his pocket and smiles at Taehyung. "Happy?"

"Why do you smoke, Jungkook?"

Jungkook lets out a heavy breath. "It used to be to get rid of the pain. Now it's become more of an addiction."

Taehyung frowns at that, his lower lip slightly jutting out. The cold wind brushes past them causing his blue locks to dance wildly. He looks beautiful. Thinks Jungkook.Just like the stars. And in the back of his mind, he hears this little voice that tells him. He's your escape, just like the stars. But he decides to avoid the little voice in the back his head. He doesn't want to dwell on his thoughts or feelings. He just wants to live the moment. 

"Why don't you try to replace the feeling of smoking with something else?" Jungkook is broken out of his thoughts by the sound Taehyung's soft voice.

"Like what?" The ravenette asks. 

"I dunno. M-Maybe like lollipops o-or something," Taehyung responds shyly upon seeing the fond stare that Jungkook was giving him. He looks down and gnaws on his lower lip, avoiding the other boy's eyes.

"I think I know something that works better," Jungkook says, his breath tickling the delicate skin of Taehyung's cheeks as their proximity intensifies. 

"W-what?" Taehyung asks, his breath hitching at their closeness.

Jungkook answers by capturing Taehyung's pink lips with his own. The ravenette tightens his hold on the boy and pulls him in so that their bodies are flush against each other. Taehyung melts into the kiss and his hands make their way over to the ravenette's hair, tugging on the soft locks. Jungkook hums in approval and gently nips the boy's lower lip, causing him to let out a small whimper. 

Jungkook pushes his tongue into his mouth and slides his hands under his sweater. The night is cold but the heat of the kiss seems to warm them up. Jungkook runs his fingers over the soft skin of his waist and Taehyung shivers at the feeling of the calloused hands on him. They continue to make out under the stars before finally pulling away, breathing out in shallow breaths as their heartbeats race in synchronisation. Jungkook gently brushes the pad of his thumb over the boy's puffy lip while smiling ever so slightly. Their eyes sparkle as they stare into one another. And again, they feel it; that feeling of staring at the beautiful stars. 

But this time...

This time it feels like they staring at the whole galaxy. 

-

A/N: Kinda cheesy? Kinda cheesy. Opinions on the new kid, Jinyoung?

Okay, I'm really curious to know this so I ask: What are some things you guys want from me as an author?

Also, here he is people. Your big bad, cold-hearted dominant daddy figure, Jeon Jungkook: 

I'm so sad. 

P.S I love you guys.